Roma and LGBTI: A spotlight on lived experiences
Today, as we mark International Roma Day, we celebrate a diversity of voices within the Roma LGBTI community, revealing the resilience, strength, and beauty of a community that is often silenced and made invisible
For Roma people who identify as LGBTI, their lives come with a unique set challenges and complexities. It is a journey that traverses the intersections of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and culture, navigating landscapes shaped by centuries of marginalisation and discrimination.
Within the Roma community, where traditions run deep and cultural norms are fiercely upheld, the experience of being LGBTI can be particularly fraught, often leading to invisibility, rejection and isolation. Yet, despite these challenges, so many Roma LGBTI people, who can be open about who they are, carve out spaces of belonging.
In this blog, through a selection of resources, we are shining a spotlight on the lived experiences, struggles, and triumphs of Roma LGBTI community, offering insight, understanding, and solidarity.
Stories of LGBTQ+ People of Roma Origin by Ara Art
This collection delves into the real-life experiences of queer Roma individuals. From tales of triumph to stories of struggle, these accounts offer a wonderful and enlightening glimpse into issues of multiple discrimination, but also celebrate the joy of being LGBTQ+ and Roma.
Manifesto “A better place for Roma LGBT+ in social movements”
This manifesto, written by Roma feminists, queers, and allies, exposes the systemic racial inequalities and exclusion experienced by Roma LGBT+ individuals and calls for genuine representation, challenging existing power dynamics, and urging solidarity in combating racism and discrimination within social movements.
The Prague Declaration, published by Ara Art
A document from the First International Roma LGBTIQ Conference underscores the need to address discrimination faced by LGBTI Roma, Gypsy, Sinti, and Travellers across Europe, calling for the establishment of a joint European platform to advocate for their human rights.
Article by Lucie Fremlova about the book “Queer Roma: In-depth Insight into Their Lives”
Discussing the book, Queer Roma: In-depth Insight into Their Lives, published by Routledge, this article highlights the publication’s profound exploration of the complex intersections of anti-gypsyism, homophobia, and transphobia shaping the identities of queer Roma individuals.
Gypsy, Roma and Traveller LGBTQ+ Spoken History Archive by RCAC and ERIAC
This archive made by Romani Cultural & Arts Company (RCAC) and the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC) presents a diverse collection of interviews, representing intersectional experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals within Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller communities worldwide. Ara Art offers commentary on the work, further emphasising the significance of its narratives and insightful discussions.
Intersectional Inequalities Faced by Romani Queer Women by Ahmad Al-Kurdi
Exploring the challenges confronted by queer Romani women in Eastern and Central Europe, highlighting the interplay between economic deprivation and symbolic injustices within this marginalised group.
Unveiling Inequality Experiences of LGBTI+ Travellers & Roma by Dr. Sarah Sartori
This peer-research initiative from Ireland unveils the experiences of exclusion faced by LGBTI+ Travellers and Roma, and represents the largest study of its kind in the country, engaging 57 participants through online surveys and focus group discussions.
The Roma minority and its status in selected EU countries (CZ, SK AND HU) by Ara Art
This report delves into the situation of LGBTQ+ individuals of Roma origin and presents an analysis spanning the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary, offering realistic recommendations and reflections on future developments.
Roma LGBTI, Feminist Movement and Scholarship by Dezso˝ Máté
Reflecting on the past 50 years of the international Roma movement, this volume traces the evolution of Roma cultural identity politics and civil rights activism.
We acknowledge that there are many lesser-known yet equally valuable resources on Roma LGBTi lives and experiences created by smaller organisations and communities. We extend an invitation to these groups to share their resources with us, so we can enrich our list even further and ensure a more comprehensive representation of the Roma LGBTI experience.
